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This isn't just another one of the thousands of articles, blogs, and stories sharing personal feelings of betrayal in light of Lance Armstrong's recent confession to Oprah. There's already been so much public outrage that anything I add about him would be redundant. This is about something bigger and infinitely more important. I'm more concerned about how I should frame this to my own kids. Not that I have to frame anything, mind you. My kids are now grown and gone; youn

Kyle (age 21) handles the scheduling, appointments, estimates, and all payment transactions for the auto service center near my office. On a weekday morning at 8:16, I call to inquire about getting my vehicle in for shocks and an alignment. Kyle politely tells me that if I can bring it in within the next 30 minutes, he’ll have it out by 11:45, in time for me to make my lunch appointment. I agree and head out immediately. I arrive at 8:37 and notice that there are already

The phrase "Coffee is for Closers" resonates with anyone who's seen the classic film, Glengarry Glen Ross. This 1992 movie stars six Hollywood A-list leading men as salesman who work for an unethical real estate outfit. The actors portray fast-talking hucksters who lie, exaggerate, and use a series of con games to goad unwitting prospects into signing on the dotted line for overpriced real estate. (If you haven't seen the movie, and you have a high tolerance for foul languag

In this new economy, time is the commodity that is the most prized. Seldom do you run into a colleague or associate who has a wide-open schedule or is looking for a way to fill some empty or idle time in their day. Forced to do more with less, time-crunched leaders push their people to find the fast-n-easy solution when they encounter a problem such as an equipment breakdown or a customer service complaint. But the quick fix is seldom the right fix, and the Band-Aid approa

The employment landscape in America for 16- to 24-year-olds is abysmal; the worst it's been in more than 50 years. So if you've got a teen or a young adult on your holiday gift list, don't head to the mall or to your nearest big box retailer. What they need most from you cannot be found in stores. According to Opportunity Nation, 5, 527,000 young adults (or one in 7 young adults ages 16-24) are not in school or working. Unemployment rates for youth ages 16-24 are double the

Checking my personal Facebook account as I was helping my wife prepare for our Thanksgiving feast, I marveled at how many of my “friends” (most whom I’ve never met) had posted a ‘Happy Thanksgiving’ message intended for anyone who might happen upon it. Same thing was happening on Twitter, LinkedIn, and dozens of other social media sites. Instead of making me feel warm and tingly inside, I was agitated. I began to wonder… Is this how impersonal, and even, how self-involved

Bodybuilding is the most narcissistic, self-absorbed ‘sport’ ever conceived. I can offer that critique as a former competitor, promoter of numerous state bodybuilding championships, emcee of the Mr. & Ms. Universe competition, and color analyst for ESPN’s bodybuilding coverage. (All of these things took place before Bill Clinton was sworn in, but my opinion has not changed much over the years.) That being said, I owe a great deal of my own work ethic to the principles I lea

How strong is your voice? How convincing is your argument? When your words aren't scripted for you --- when your notes have blown away --- when you're in the spotlight and all eyes are on you --- when the pressure is on and it's do or die --- ...can you deliver? Can you lead, inspire, direct, convince, persuade, motivate, and rally the troops to get behind you -- take up their swords -- and fight for your cause? The litmus test of leadership is believability. For others to

It’s 7:14 a.m. The breakfast is scheduled for 7:30 and, so far, I don’t see any of the meeting attendees milling around. Before heading into the ballroom to meet with the AV technician who’s there to help me set up for my 8:30 keynote, I decide to grab a cup of coffee and a light breakfast. As I approach the breakfast buffet area that’s been prepared for the 120 meeting attendees I’ll soon be presenting for, I take notice of the artwork in my presence. The sweetener at the

Last weekend, my wife and I had our 5-yr-old granddaughter over for dinner. The TV in the great room was on providing background ambiance so that I could watch the big game as I helped Brooklyn do some creative arts and crafts at the kitchen table nearby. Midway through the first quarter, Brooky looked up at me and asked, “Who do you want to win, Poppy?” “We live in Denver, Honey, so I’m cheering for the team wearing orange," I replied. “No, Poppy, not that. Do you want O

Every company that employs teens and young adults wrestles with the boundaries of professionalism. How do you get the emerging workforce to set aside, if only temporarily, the supposed “personal right of individual expression” in favor of representing you and your organization without completely zapping them of their enthusiasm, creativity, and energy? Sometimes their personal preferences line up squarely with your organization’s needs, but often, especially for the emerging

It should come as no great surprise to any business owner or manager that employees tend to stay where they feel appreciated and they are prone to leave when they don't. Following that same logic, smart employers also realize that people will perform better when they feel that their efforts are recognized and appreciated and will become complacent when their efforts go unnoticed. Until now, tying a bottom line dollar figure to the importance of employee appreciation has been

This headline makes absolutely no sense, but please don't shoot the messenger just yet. If you're confused about what's really going in with regards to Generation Y/Millennials in the workforce, turn off the news and stop reading the papers. The media is more confused than you are. Either that, or they're purposely trying to confuse you to force you to buy more papers to get unconfused. Yesterday, a story appeared in USA Today under the headline "Gen Y Most Likely to Hold L

Since my new book launched in January, I've sent out 273 complimentary copies. I know for a fact that at least four of those books were delivered. These books were not sent out unsolicited to a random list of people I was hoping to engage, but rather to clients, prospective clients, major media contacts, and close colleagues who requested them. Each received a personalized, autographed hard cover book accompanied by a hand-written postcard. Reviving Work Ethic retails for

Last Thursday while vacationing with my family in a small Colorado mountain town, I suffered a personal crisis when one of my highly visible dental crowns split in two and fell out. I had Crystal, the receptionist at my dentist for the past 15 years, on the phone in minutes and explained to her the severity of the situation. After six minutes on hold, Crystal returned to tell me that Dr. B wasn’t going to be in on Friday, but that he could fit me in on Monday morning. “How

When you think back on your days as a high school student, you'll recall that the majority of the faculty and staff who interacted with you did so in an authoritative and controlling manner. If there was a disagreement or a point of contention, you were quickly reminded that they were the adult and you were the kid, erasing any doubt as to who was going to emerge from the conflict victorious. I experienced this as a student, and again when I became a young teacher. I wanted

Distracted workers are to employers what distracted drivers are to other motorists -- a constant and growing threat. There isn't a manager on the face of this planet who is willing to share the focused attention of her employees with the screen of a cellular phone. The reality is that employers are being forced to find ways to contend and compete with a ubiquitous technology that didn't exist when they, themselves, were just coming into the workplace. But as you'll see in t

In this highly entertaining infographic produced as a join effort between the University of North Carolina Business School and the Young Entrepreneurs Council (both largely comprised of the under-30 crowd) viewers are able to see the clear cut differences between older workers and millennials (a.k.a. Generation Y, Generation Why, Boomlets, Nexters, etc.). Through surveys, the respondents that represent this young cohort indicate their preferences and desires when it comes to

In 1989, 56% of the 16- to 19-year-olds in America were actively participating in the workforce. This meant that an employer hiring a young person in the late eighties and early nineties had better than a one-in-two chance that the young person they were considering understood what it meant to hold a job. In 2012, however, only 33% of those in the same age group are actively participating in the workforce. And the numbers for African-American and Hispanic teens are much lo

Dylan and Charles have been on summer break for three days and have quite a little enterprise brewing. They're working hard and making money. This morning, I noticed them at the end of my street with a table and chairs set up. Dylan was pouring liquid refreshment and making change. Charles was busy waving down cars with a large cardboard sign that reads "Lemenade." I love the entrepreneurial spirit of these young lads, but I felt compelled to alert them to their obvious